Arsenic in Rice Milk Causes Worry Among Parents of Small Children

Yesterday we reported on a study conducted by 'Consumer Reports' that arsenic in rice may be a health concern for many Americans. For children, the risk for arsenic poisoning is especially strong in rice milk, often used as a substitute for regular milk, as well as other products such as rice syrup, rice cereal, and rice flour.

The question on everybody's lips is, "Should we be concerned?" The answer as with all new findings is not perfectly clear. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have not fully completed its research yet, but have flagged for more restraint in consuming rice products, especially in giving children such products that could potentially be consumed in large quantities such as rice drinks, including rice milk.

It was Wednesday morning that Consumer Reports Magazine reported to "Good Morning America" to show its findings in a study, where surprisingly high levels of arsenic had been found in rice.

The findings showed that arsenic levels varied depending on the soil where the rice had been grown, with aggravated levels of arsenic in rice grown in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas.

Rice from California or imported from South-East Asian countries like Malaysia did not have the same levels, according to the study.

While the uncertainty may be worrisome for parents with small children, as many have children that are intolerant to milk or even soy milk, it has been suggested as a current step to limit the amount of rice products that consumers eat, at least until the FDA comes out with a more comprehensive result from its own study.

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